Psalm 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

If the Lord had not been on our side—
    let Israel say(A)
if the Lord had not been on our side
    when people attacked us,
they would have swallowed us alive
    when their anger flared against us;
the flood(B) would have engulfed us,
    the torrent(C) would have swept over us,
the raging waters
    would have swept us away.

Praise be to the Lord,
    who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
    from the fowler’s snare;(D)
the snare has been broken,(E)
    and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name(F) of the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven(G) and earth.

124 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say;

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us:

Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:

Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:

Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.

Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

The Death of Jacob

29 Then he gave them these instructions:(A) “I am about to be gathered to my people.(B) Bury me with my fathers(C) in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,(D) 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah,(E) near Mamre(F) in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field(G) as a burial place(H) from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham(I) and his wife Sarah(J) were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah(K) were buried, and there I buried Leah.(L) 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.[a](M)

33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.(N)

50 Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him.(O) Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him,(P) taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.(Q)

When the days of mourning(R) had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court,(S) “If I have found favor in your eyes,(T) speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, ‘My father made me swear an oath(U) and said, “I am about to die;(V) bury me in the tomb I dug for myself(W) in the land of Canaan.”(X) Now let me go up and bury my father;(Y) then I will return.’”

Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”

So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials(Z) accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court(AA) and all the dignitaries of Egypt— besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father’s household.(AB) Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen.(AC) Chariots(AD) and horsemen[b] also went up with him. It was a very large company.

10 When they reached the threshing floor(AE) of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly;(AF) and there Joseph observed a seven-day period(AG) of mourning(AH) for his father.(AI) 11 When the Canaanites(AJ) who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.”(AK) That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.[c]

12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them:(AL) 13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah,(AM) near Mamre,(AN) which Abraham had bought along with the field(AO) as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite.(AP) 14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.(AQ)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 49:32 Or the descendants of Heth
  2. Genesis 50:9 Or charioteers
  3. Genesis 50:11 Abel Mizraim means mourning of the Egyptians.

29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.

31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.

33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

50 And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.

And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.

And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.

And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,

My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.

And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.

And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.

And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.

10 And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.

11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan.

12 And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:

13 For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.

14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.(A) When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us,(B) a sphere that also includes you. 14 We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you(C) with the gospel of Christ.(D) 15 Neither do we go beyond our limits(E) by boasting of work done by others.(F) Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,(G) our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, 16 so that we can preach the gospel(H) in the regions beyond you.(I) For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. 17 But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[a](J) 18 For it is not the one who commends himself(K) who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 10:17 Jer. 9:24

12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

13 But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

14 For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ:

15 Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,

16 To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.

17 But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

18 For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

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